Awesome Authors Youth Writing Contest

Tuesday, January 10, 2023 12:00 a.m.
Tuesday, January 24, 2023 11:55 p.m.

Councillor Wilson Lo - Ward 24, Barrhaven East 110 Laurier Ave W Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1 Canada (map)

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The Awesome Authors Youth Writing Contest gives young writers, between the ages of 9 and 18, the chance to win awesome cash prizes, get published and share their talent with the world! This contest would not be possible without the generosity of the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association.

Contest rules and regulations

The contest starts January 10, 2023 and submissions will be accepted until February 24, 2023, 11:59 pm.
Open to all youth residing in Ottawa, ages 9 to 18 (must not yet have completed high school)
Submission by outside residents with a non-resident card (family membership) will be accepted.
There is a limit of one (1) entry per person, per category. The six categories are: short story, poetry, comic, nouvelle, poésie and bande dessinée.

All submissions must:

include the title of the piece on each page;
be new, original, previously unpublished work;
be in French or English.

Please remember:

Do not put your name on your work.
Include one entry form per submission.
Entries will not be returned.
All winning entries will be checked for plagiarism. Entries that are plagiarized, previously published or that do not follow guidelines will be disqualified without notice.

Prizes

Each participant will automatically be entered in a draw to win a $25 gift certificate at Librairie du Soleil or Octopus Books - 1 entry per participant.
Winners will see their work published in pot-pourri, an anthology featuring the winning entries, and will receive cash prizes:
- 1st place: $60
- 2nd place: $40
- 3rd place: $30
- Honourable Mention: $20
If they win a prize, the co-authors (comic book authors only) will have to share the cash prize received.
A participant can submit one work in each category and can win several prizes (for example, a prize of 1st place in the BD category and 1st place in the Short Story category).

Get writing tips

Register for a workshop hosted by a local author, and contest judge! They will share their knowledge and experience with you! You can also visit our YouTube Channel to discover other tips from our judges.